iPhone 6 Plus versus Canon’s G7X. Is the iPhone’s camera all you need?

As a keen photographer I upgraded to the iPhone 6 Plus mainly for the camera. And specifically the Plus for the optical image stabilisation that the standard iPhone 6 doesn’t have. This improves its low light performance significantly. And since smartphones generally don’t have decent flashes this is even more important.

My other camera was Canon’s Prosumer 70D. And whilst the camera on the iPhone is very good, it’s unsurprisingly no match for the 70D. The only trouble with the 70D is it’s just too heavy and bulky as a take anywhere camera, for me at least. So I was after a camera with the quality of the 70D but in a compact size. The choice really comes down to two cameras: the Canon G7X and the Sony RX100 III. These are compact cameras but have a large 1″ sensor which makes a substantial difference when it comes to image quality. The larger sensor also improves low light performance. The sensor size on the iPhone 6 Plus in comparison is 1/3″.

I went for the Canon G7X because I find the touch screen very useful for focusing, especially when filming. It also has a bigger zoom and it’s cheaper too, but I’m sure I would have been happy with the Sony too. It’s a great camera and I’d recommend it highly. But the first big question is how the quality compares to the 70D – short answer – it’s not as good! And the more important question is how does it compare to the iPhone 6 Plus, which is always with me?

Without trying to do any scientific comparison my initial impression was that the G7X wins hands down. The dynamic range (effectively the camera’s ability to capture the full range of tones from black to white) appears better and the photos have better contrast as a result. The larger sensor also means that you can isolate the foreground (blur the background) with wide apertures (all the way down to f1.8) unlike with the iPhone which just has too much depth of field due to the small sensor size. This is fantastic for video too. You can take a look at some comparison shots taken with both cameras throughout the remainder of the article. Please feel free to download the full resolution files from Flickr if you’d like to examine the differences more closely.

iPhone 6 PlusCanon G7X

In addition the Canon has complete manual control, a 4x optical zoom, a proper flash, the ability to shoot RAW, a tripod mount, a flip up screen for selfies and of course you can use memory cards so you don’t have the limit of the iPhone’s built in memory. But when it came to writing this article I unscientifically tried to demonstrate the differences between both cameras. And this is where it gets difficult, because in real use both cameras take excellent photos! Even in low light the iPhone does surprisingly well, although not a match for the Canon. And apart from the big advantage the iPhone has that it’s always with you, there are other advantages to the iPhone 6 Plus. The greater depth of field means you’re less likely to mess up focus. The iPhone also has better slo-mo modes, all the way down to 240fps in 720p mode (which is stunning). This compares to just 60fps in 1080p mode on the the G7X. And the range of apps on the iPhone extend the camera’s functionality hugely. My favourites are Pro HDR for huge dynamic range HDR shots and Lapse It for timelapse movies. Plus the iPhone has built in GPS and there’s easy uploading and sharing which require a further WiFi syncing step with the G7X.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus, HDR Pro app

Overall it really comes down to what you want a camera for. Cameras like the G7X do offer a step up in quality and although not huge in most well lit situations, it’s still significant (more so in low light). But perhaps more importantly it handles so much better than an iPhone – it’s a proper camera! There’s a real shutter button with focus lock. There are dials for setting exposure compensation, aperture, shutter speed and ISO. And although we all cope without optical zoom on our smartphones, I do really appreciate it on the G7X. If none of these last few points matter you’re probably be better off with just your smartphone. But for me, the handling, optical zoom and depth of field control alone means for the time being, the Canon G7X wins.

Thanks Craig. I think much of the article would apply to the iPhone 5. The low light performance will be better with the 6 Plus because of the OIS, but the resolution is very similar. As I discuss in the article, in good light, without looking too closely at the photos I imagine the iPhone 5 will hold up pretty well.

Thanks for the speedy reply, Gidon. Would you know if the G7X takes much better photo’s than the iPhone 5? Just wondering if it’s worth purchasing a G7X, or if I should just use my iPhone 5 for photo’s. I’ve ordered a 3-in-1 camera lens for my phone, which includes a wide angle, macro, and fish eye lens, and I hear you can tweak photo’s quite nicely in an app called Camera+ .. So I’m not sure if I should purchase a G7X, or if I should stick with the iPhone 5 for photo’s.

Great Article but one unanswered question for me. What would u recommend, I have the new iPhone and looking forward to buy a new Camera. I can´t decide if i should invest a little bit more into the 70d instead of the G7x. Thanks for help !

Thanks, good points in this review. It is amazing what small sensors’ smartphones can do when software is well developed… But a good camera gives you good tools to take your pictures. That is my biggest point. If you are gonna use a camera to point and shoot… it is just as good as a smartphone. Even the later is better because you can play with filters, hdr, etc. But if you like to take the picture you want, you might need good controls and good lenses.
Cheers,
K.

Thank you for sharing this with us. Very very useful. I’m very interested to see the camera on the iPhone 7 plus in a couple of days to see how it compares to the canon G7X mark ii. I’m specifically interested in it’s video capabilities. I wonder do you have any thoughts on that?

I’ve just returned from a week overseas and found the difference between my G7X mk ii and iPhone 6s to be incredibly significant!

Whilst I love my iPhone for the ease of use and fact I always have it on me, the quality of the images is significantly different as per your findings, and in particular incerdibly noticable when shooting in low light. At times the iPhone barely picked up faces whereas the G7X mk ii was able to clearly illuminate our faces without even needing the flash and producing absolutely incredible images.

I agree that the right camera for you is the one you have with you, however I also think it’s really important to think about what you’re wanting to do with the photos! If it’s for instagram or a phone background, iPhone will siffice. If it’s with the view of printing onto a canvas or really anything larger than a phone screen, or for subjects in low light then I feel the Canon is worth it’s weight in gold. We also have a Canon DSLR which will largely become redundant now due to the compact nature and absolute brilliance of the G7X mk ii.

Great article and very useful, and I am planning on writing something similar to demonstrate my findings.

Gidon’s obsession with technology began at an early age with a BBC B Micro computer. After working for 12 years at British Telecom travelling around the world as a technology researcher he opened a technology retail store in Tavistock in Devon, selling the latest tech and offering IT services to residential and business customers. Read More…

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